The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Yohartford.
The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars with desirable inflorescence form and floret colors and good postproduction longevity.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventors in February, 1995, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as YB-4470 as the female, or seed, parent with the Chrysanthemum cultivar Blush, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,985 as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventors in April, 1996, as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form and floret colors and good postproduction longevity.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in June, 1996. Asexual reporduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Yohartford has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Yohartfordxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Yohartfordxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:
1. Upright, somewhat spreading, compact, and uniformly mounded plant habit.
2. Strong, dark green foliage.
3. Uniform flowering response.
4. Early flowering, eight-week response time.
5. Can be grown as a disbud or spray-type.
6. Very large single anemone-type inflorescences that are about 11.8 cm in diameter.
7. Lavender pink-colored ray florets and yellow-tipped disc florets.
8. Good postproduction longevity with inflorescences maintaining good substance and color for about three weeks in an interior environment.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar, Dark Pink Yoblush, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,995, in the following characteristics:
. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have single anemone-type inflorescences whereas plants of the cultivar Dark Pink Blush have single daisy-type inflorescences.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more compact than plants of the cultivar Dark Pink Blush.
3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum twist more with age than ray florets of the plants of the cultivar Dark Pink Blush.